The Olympics are a great idea. Young men and women at the peak of fitness

competing for the glory of sport, the thrill of victory. Once you weed out the

steroid freaks it is really quite pure and simple.

The only problem with

the latest games is trying to see them. Even with the wonders of cable TV airing

50 channels from all over Asia and available for a song here in the Kingdom, it

still takes a master's degree in remote control surfing to even get a glimpse of

the footage offered. The BBC and CNN ran mostly stills, and the Australian

Broadcasting Corporation's overseas service showed only a smidgen of

highlights.

You talk with folks in the States and Europe and they are

inundated with live or taped footage all day long. But what about the rest of

the planet!

Let it not be said that the boss at the UN Center for Human

Rights does not have a keen eye on the precariousness of all life. When

non-swimmer Rita Reddy got wind of the possibility that Phnom Penh might get

flooded she leaped into action.

And what was her first order of

business? Send somebody out to buy life jackets.

It's official! Next year there will be 22 national holidays. Khmer New Year

will take place on April 13, 14, 15, and 16. According to the subdecree issued

by the Government, four days (not three) will be needed for the holiday "because

depend on the moon turn".

There's a reason why a doctor's handwriting is

illegible. Here's some of their scrawls deciphered:

"The patient refused

an autopsy."

"The patient has no past history of suicides."

"She

is numb from her toes down."

"The patient is tearful and crying

constantly. She also appears to be depressed."

"Patient has chest pain if

she lies on her left side for over a year."

"Between you and me, we ought

to be able to get this lady pregnant."

"The patient was in his usual

state of good health until his airplane ran out of gas and crashed."

"The

patient's past medical history has been remarkably insignificant, with only a

forty-pound weight gain in the past three days."

So much for truth in

advertising! Remember the Our Place ad several issues ago: "Was open, is open

and will remain open!" Wrong. Nick's done a runner and Our Place is history.